1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to delivery trucks or trailers used to deliver containers of soft drinks to sales outlets, and in particular to a vehicle beverage body that is convertible back and forth between side-loading at ground level and rear loading at dock height.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At present, bottlers who operate a bulk delivery system for large accounts, use a tractor trailer unit and deliver to a loading dock. The trailer has rear doors that open into a large, completely open, interior area with a flat floor.
The typical chain store wants such bulk rigs in and out of their loading docks within a very narrow time span each morning. To meet this requirement requires a large number of such bulk rigs that are left idle the rest of the day. The number of such bulk rigs that are needed can be reduced by attempting to negotiate appropriate delivery times with the chain stores, however, this is very time consuming and has not been a satisfactory solution to the problem.
Bottlers also use side-loading route trucks for conventional deliveries to sales outlets that receive merchandise through a door at ground level. Such trucks have a plurality of bays or compartments along each sidewall with floors that slope down into the truck and with sliding doors that roll up to provide entry into each bay. An A-frame extends longitudinally down the middle of the length of the truck to provide a back to each bay and to provide the main source of strength and rigidity for the trailer.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the above-mentioned problems in the prior art.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a beverage body that is convertible for use as either a bulk delivery rig with rear loading at dock height, or as a conventional side-loading route truck or trailer.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide a convertible beverage body in which the main support beam is completely below the wheel bay floor so that the body can be converted to provide an interior that is completely open and free of obstruction.
It is another object of this invention to provide a method for converting a beverage body for a delivery vehicle from side loading with separate bays, a sloping floor and interior partitions, to rear loading with a completely open interior with a flat floor.